Sign up to receive free email alerts when patent applications with chosen keywords are publishedSIGN UP

Abstract:

A spindle is provided, comprising a spindle body having a first end, a
second end, and a channel extending from the first end to the second end;
a first end cover and a second end cover, the first and second end covers
being releasably securable to the first and second ends, respectively,
for defining a sealed space within the channel; the channel being
configured for receiving at least one ball bearing assembly, a shaft, and
a fluid; such that the at least one ball bearing assembly, a portion of
the shaft, and the fluid are contained within the sealed space when the
first and second end covers are secured to the first and second ends.

Claims:

1. A spindle, comprising: a spindle body having a first end, a second
end, and a channel extending from the first end to the second end; a
first end cover and a second end cover, the first and second end covers
being releasably securable to the first and second ends, respectively,
for defining a sealed space within the channel; the channel being
configured for receiving at least one ball bearing assembly, a shaft, and
a fluid; such that the at least one ball bearing assembly, a portion of
the shaft, and the fluid are contained within the sealed space when the
first and second end covers are secured to the first and second ends.

2. The spindle of claim 1, wherein the channel is substantially
cylindrical and defined by an inner wall of the spindle body.

3. The spindle of claim 1, each of the first and second end covers having
an aperture therethrough for accomodating the shaft.

4. The spindle of claim 1, wherein the spindle body is substantially
cylindrical.

5. The spindle of claim 1, wherein the at least one ball bearing assembly
is an unsealed ball bearing assembly, such that the ball bearings are in
communication with the sealed space.

6. The spindle of claim 1, further comprising an aperture in the spindle
body for receiving the fluid.

7. The spindle of claim 1, further comprising a support structure coupled
to an outer surface of the spindle body, the support structure comprising
a pair of upstanding support plates.

8. The spindle of claim 1, wherein the at least one ball bearing assembly
includes a first, double row ball bearing assembly and a second, single
row ball bearing assembly.

Description:

FIELD

[0001] The specification relates generally to wind turbines, and
specifically to a spindle for a wind turbine.

BACKGROUND

[0002] Wind turbines, and rotational equipment in general, can be exposed
to a wide variety of operating conditions (such as wind speeds and
directions). These conditions, as well as the extended periods of time
for which wind turbines often remain in near-constant operation, impose
stresses on the moving parts of the turbines that can result in damage
and undesirable down-time for maintenance.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0003] Embodiments are described with reference to the following figures,
in which:

[0004] FIG. 1 depicts a spindle for a wind turbine, according to a
non-limiting embodiment;

[0005]FIG. 2 depicts an exploded view of a spindle body and associated
components of the spindle of FIG. 1, according to a non-limiting
embodiment;

[0006] FIG. 3 depicts an exploded view of the spindle body of FIG. 2, as
well as additional components housed within the spindle body, according
to a non-limiting embodiment; and

[0007] FIG. 4 depicts a schematic cross-section of the spindle body of
FIG. 3, according to a non-limiting embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0008] According to aspects of the specification, a spindle is provided,
comprising a spindle body having a first end, a second end, and a channel
extending from the first end to the second end; a first end cover and a
second end cover, the first and second end covers being releasably
securable to the first and second ends, respectively, for defining a
sealed space within the channel; the channel being configured for
receiving at least one ball bearing assembly, a shaft, and a fluid; such
that the at least one ball bearing assembly, a portion of the shaft, and
the fluid are contained within the sealed space when the first and second
end covers are secured to the first and second ends.

[0009] Referring to FIG. 1, a spindle 100 according to a non-limiting
embodiment is shown. It is contemplated that spindle 100 can be used to
support the shaft of a wind turbine, such as a roof-mounted wind turbine.
It is also contemplated, however, that spindle 100 can be used in a
variety of applications in which rotating shafts are employed.

[0010] Spindle 100 includes a spindle body 104, which will be described
below in greater detail. Spindle 100 can also include a support structure
108. Support structure 108 can include, as shown in FIG. 1, an upstanding
support plate 112 coupled to each end of spindle body 104, and a base 116
to which the support plates 112 are coupled. As shown in the present
example embodiment, support plates 112 can be substantially parallel to
each other, and substantially perpendicular to base 116. Further, support
plates 112 and base 116 can be integrally formed of a single block of
material (for example, a metal such as steel, aluminum, iron and the
like).

[0011] It is also contemplated, however, that a variety of support
structures 108 can be employed. In some embodiments, for example, support
plates 112 and base 116 can be separate elements coupled by way of
fasteners (such as bolts, screws, welds and the like). In additional
embodiments, support plates need not be parallel to one another, and need
not be coupled to spindle body 104 at the ends of spindle body 104. Based
on the above, a variety of support structures 108 will occur to those
skilled in the art.

[0012] Turning now to FIG. 2, spindle body 104 and associated components
are shown in greater detail. In particular, spindle body 104 includes a
first end 200, a second end 204, and a channel 208 extending from first
end 200 to second end 204. As shown in FIG. 2, spindle body 104 can be
substantially cylindrical in shape, and channel 208 is also substantially
cylindrical in shape. Thus, in the present example embodiment, spindle
body 104 is generally a hollow tubular structure with a channel extending
therethrough along its longitudinal axis (shown at 212). In other
embodiments, the outer wall of spindle body 104 can have a
non-cylindrical shape, though it will be appreciated that channel 208
should retain a substantially cylindrical shape. It will now be apparent
that channel 208 is defined by an inner wall of spindle body 104. In the
present example embodiment, spindle body 104 is of substantially solid
construction. In other embodiments, spindle body 104 can be hollow, such
that a space exists between the inner and outer walls of spindle body
104.

[0013] Spindle 100 also includes a first end cover 216 and a second end
cover 220. First and second end covers 216 and 220 are releasably
securable to spindle body 104 at first and second ends 200, 204
respectively. Various ways of securing first and second end covers 216
and 220 to spindle body 104 will now occur to those skilled in the art.
By way of example, as shown in FIG. 2, first end cover 216 can be secured
to first end 200 of spindle body 104 by way of a plurality of fasteners
224 which extend through respective through-holes 228 in first end cover
216 and into respective holes 232 at first end 200 of spindle body 104.
Similarly, fasteners 236 can be used to secure second end cover 220 to
spindle body 104. Fasteners 232 and 236 can be screws, such as socket
head cap screws. Fasteners 232 and 236 can also include any other
suitable combination of screws, bolts nails, and the like.

[0014] End covers 216 and 220 have central apertures 240 and 244,
respectively, for allowing passage of a drive shaft. End covers 216 and
220, when secured to spindle body 104, define a sealed chamber or space
within channel 208. To that end, additional components can be provided
with end covers 216 and 220, to assist in maintaining the integrity of
the seal between the sealed space within channel 208 and the exterior of
spindle 100. In particular, an appropriately sized O-ring 248 and an
appropriately sized bearing isolator 252 can be provided between end
cover 216 and first end 200 of spindle body 104. Similarly, an O-ring 256
and a bearing isolator 260 can be provided between end cover 220 and
second end 204 of spindle body 104.

[0015] Channel 208 is configured to receive at least one ball bearing
assembly, a drive shaft, and a fluid, such that the bearing assembly, a
portion of the shaft, and the fluid are contained within the sealed space
defined within channel 208 as a result of the coupling of end covers 216
and 220 to spindle body 104. Turning to FIG. 3, in addition to spindle
body 104 and the associated components described above, a drive shaft 300
(also referred to herein simply as a "shaft") is shown, as are ball
bearing assemblies 304 and 308. As shown in FIG. 3, shaft 300 is received
through channel 208, while bearing assemblies 304 and 308 are also
received within channel 208 in order to rotatably support shaft 300
within channel 208.

[0016] Turning briefly to FIG. 4, a simplified cross section of spindle
100 is shown in an assembled configuration, omitting support structure
108. In particular, a sealed chamber, or space, 400, is shown within
channel 208. It will now be apparent that covers 216 and 220, as well as
the associated 0-rings and bearing isolators described above, have been
abstracted to cover elements 404 and 408, merely for simplicity of
illustration. Cover elements 404 and 408 can therefore be seen as
comprising end covers 216 and 220, respectively, as well as any
additional components such as 0-rings 248 and 256. As seen in FIG. 4, a
portion of shaft 300 is received within sealed space 400, while the ends
of shaft 300 extend outside sealed space 400. The portion of shaft 300
received within sealed space 400 is rotatably supported by bearing
assemblies 304 and 308, which are sized so as to contact the inner wall
412 of channel 208 and the outer surface 416 of shaft 300.

[0017] Sealed space 400 is therefore substantially sealed from exposure to
the exterior of spindle body 104. Thus, as shown in FIG. 3, bearing
assemblies 304 and 308 need not be pre-sealed. In the present example
embodiment, bearing assembly 304 is a double row ball bearing assembly
whose ball bearings are in communication with sealed space 400 when
installed. Bearing assembly 308 is a single row ball bearing assembly
whose ball bearings are also in communication with sealed space 400 when
installed. As a result, the fluid (for example, a lubricant such as a
suitable oil) received within sealed space 400 acts to lubricate each
ball bearing in assemblies 304 and 308. In some embodiments, spindle body
104 can include an opening 312 which is closeable by way of a seal plug
316. Lubricant can be added and removed to sealed space 400 via opening
312. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 3, opening 312 can be an upper
opening for receiving fluid, and spindle body 104 can include a lower
opening substantially opposite to opening 312, for draining fluid from
sealed space 400. Although such a lower opening is not shown in FIG. 3, a
lower seal plug 320 which closes the lower opening is shown.

[0018] It is contemplated that any number of ball bearing assemblies can
be received within sealed space 400. Thus, sealed space 400 provides a
single chamber for housing any suitable number of unsealed ball bearing
assemblies, each ball bearing of which can be lubricated by the same pool
of fluid within sealed space 400.

[0019] In some embodiments, a fastener 324 can be included in conjunction
with one or more of the ball bearing assemblies 304, 308, for positioning
the respective ball bearing assembly respective to shaft 300. In the
present embodiment, fastener 324 is a locking bearing nut operable to fix
the position of ball-bearing assembly 304 at a particular point along the
length of shaft 300. It is contemplated that while a similar fastener is
not shown in conjunction with ball bearing assembly 308, such a fastener
could be included in other embodiments.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 3, shaft 300 can include keyways such as keyway
328 and respective keys, such as key 332. Keyway 328 is configured to
receive key 332, in order to enable locking shaft 300 into a rotor
assembly (not shown) for generating electric power from the rotation of
shaft 300. The smaller keyways shown at the opposite end of shaft 300 are
configured to receive their respective keys, for locking shaft 300 to a
wind turbine blade assembly (not shown).

[0021] Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that there are yet more
alternative implementations and modifications possible for implementing
the embodiments, and that the above implementations and examples are only
illustrations of one or more embodiments. The scope, therefore, is only
to be limited by the claims appended hereto.

Patent applications by Sharolyn Vettese, North York CA

Patent applications in class HAVING LUBRICATING, SEALING, PACKING OR SPECIFIC BEARING MEANS BETWEEN IMPELLER OR SHAFT AND STATIC PART

Patent applications in all subclasses HAVING LUBRICATING, SEALING, PACKING OR SPECIFIC BEARING MEANS BETWEEN IMPELLER OR SHAFT AND STATIC PART